[Book Marketing Expert] How Being an Expert Can Help You Grow Your Business and Get More Sales via @bookgal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER! A newsletter all about SUCCESSFUL publishing and POWERFUL promotion. March 29, 2012 Issue #269 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in this issue -- Note From The Editor -- Facebook Banner Special! -- Feature Article: How Being an Expert Can Help You Grow Your Business and Get More Sales -- Setting Goals For Self-Publishing -- Book Marketing Resources From AME -- Book Bits and Bites -- How Online Press Release Distribution Can Help You with Your LinkedIn Marketing Efforts -- The 2012 Indie Excellence Awards -- Third Annual Unicorn Writers Conference -- AME in the News -- Hear What The Publishing Insiders Have to Say -- How to Get Retweeted -- Author Blogging 101: Simple SEO for Authors -- Sign Up for Social Media Magazines Today! -- Meet New Readers With MeetUp.com! -- Reader Tip: Pin Your Friends' Books on Pinterest -- Social Media Snippet: Have You Checked Out Facebook's Interest Lists? -- Social Media Snippet: 50 (Mostly) Free Social Media Tools You Can't Live Without -- Reader Tip! -- WHO ARE WE -- ------------------------------------------------------------ Penny C. Sansevieri, Editor penny@amarketingexpert.com Welcome to a new issue of THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER. You are receiving this newsletter compliments of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. To opt out, please scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter. Note From The Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to another issue of the Book Marketing Expert Newsletter! Dear Author, Did you hear that Facebook is changing its look again? Well, not really its look but how the Facebook Pages show up. You need to have a banner in place by March 30, so one more day to go! See ours here: https://www.facebook.com/bookmarketingame We have a fabulous deal for these banners if you're interested in getting one for your page; see the deal below in the newsletter. Oh and we have another Facebook goodie for you, check out our special show with Amy Porterfield on the new Facebook changes: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepublishinginsiders/2012/03/23/special-guest-amy-porterfield--the-new-facebook-page-1 Are you an expert? Sometimes that word makes people cringe, I know. But being an expert can really make a big difference to your success. This week we're taking a closer look at ways to grow your expert status and how your business can benefit from this. We hope you enjoy our newsletter, we're always so pleased to get your feedback on it! Wishing you publishing success, Penny, Paula, Amy and everyone at Author Marketing Experts, Inc. Facebook Banner Special! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ready to get your own Facebook Banner? We have all the specs and know what to do to make this happen for you. Contact us today for our banner special: $150 for a banner until April 15. Email us at info@amarketingexpert.com Feature Article: How Being an Expert Can Help You Grow Your Business and Get More Sales ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are ready to take your business, speaking career or book to the next level, consider becoming an expert. There's a lot of talk these days about "being an expert," and many folks who say they are experts really aren't. Becoming an expert isn't an overnight process, it takes time. In my view, however, it's time well-spent. I often get requests from folks wanting me to make them an expert and while it's somewhat doable, it's not entirely realistic that someone else can bestow you with expert status. Even if you pay them. You might argue that that's what a media/marketing person should do and to some degree, that's true. But what a lot of speakers, business owners and authors fail to understand is that becoming an expert isn't something you do overnight, and if you hire a company to do this for you you'll need a pretty big budget and a whole lot of time. First, why would you want to become an expert? Because experts get considered for potential speaking engagements, acknowledged by the media, and noticed by potential customers. But being an expert, in a sea of experts, isn't always easy. Doesn't it seem that these days everyone is calling themselves an "expert?" Yet so few are. Being an expert shouldn't be an ego thing, you should do it only if it benefits you, your goals, your business and your book (if you have one). You can't bestow expert status on yourself (and it doesn't count if you add it to your bio); people in the industry have to start viewing you as the expert and you can only get there one way: hard work. Being an expert and holding onto that expert status requires a daily dedication. I promise you that if you stay true to this, becoming an expert will really help enhance your business and professional opportunities. Here's how you get started: 1) Have a voice: Yes, this means a blog and yes, this means writing blog posts at least twice a week. Speak to your topic and do this on your blog. It's important, trust me. The blogs don't have to be long, 500 or so words, even less. The reality is that as long as the blog contains helpful information, that's all that matters. 2) Content, content: Generate helpful, insightful content that speaks to your end-user. Mike Stelzner talks a lot about this in his book: Launch ( http://www.amazon.com/Launch-Quickly-Propel-Business-Competition/dp/111802723X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329270823&sr=1-1). Creating helpful, useful content is a great way to drive interest and readers to your website. 3) Be Trendy: Right now Pinterest is all the rage in social media, and you can bet that every social media expert is jumping on this site to see what it's about. Is it a fad? Will it become the next Twitter? Whatever the trend is in your market, be sure that you're on top of it, know what's happening and what's hot. This will also help you create insightful blog posts and other content. 4) Participate in media requests: If you don't subscribe to HARO and other media leads services (and most of them are free), you should start doing that and make it a rule to respond to at least one media lead a week. If you aren't sure how to respond to leads, check out my article ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri/maximizing-media-leads_b_748574.html) on using media leads to grow your career. 5) Get social: This means that you do need to get out there and do some social media but don't just go "everywhere" - go everywhere that matters. If LinkedIn isn't part of your demographic, there's no need to be on it. Find out where the other experts are in your market and then go to those sites. 6) Go to events: Being an expert isn't always about networking online, sometimes it's also about going to events, getting to know others in your industry and staying "in the know" when it comes to the latest technology and trends. 7) Be generous: Giving information is really a way to capture a bigger audience. I've seen people bristle at this statement but it's really the way to go. While it might seem counterintuitive to give away information, consider this: the psychology of giving information is that your consumer will think "if they are willing to give this away, I bet they know a whole lot more" and then they will be willing to pay for that "whole lot more." We've always given away a ton of information, sometimes to the point that people say, "How do you make a living?" Well, we do make a living and have for 11+ years living by this model. We've never run a single paid ad for our business, it's all word of mouth, and, free information that brings people to our door. 8) Network online: It's always important to make online networking part of your daily/weekly routine. What do I mean by online networking? Consider following several of the biggest experts in your category and then retweeting their tweets, and commenting on their Facebook, Google+, or LinkedIn posts. Generally make sure that you are sharing their info and hopefully someday they will help you share yours. 9) Review other people's books: If you're in a market with folks who author books, you should consider reviewing their titles on Amazon.com. Not only is there a lot of goodwill in that, but it's a great way to connect with other experts in your market. 10) Be helpful: This is right up there with being generous. Be willing to extend a hand to someone else in your industry to help them with a launch, offer to share their promo with your list, or give some insight to an industry newbie. Becoming an expert isn't just doing one thing consistently, it's really a blend of many different things that should be part of your daily and weekly routine. Having a voice in your market will not only help to raise your profile, but it will also help boost your business. You'll find opportunities coming your way, and marketing your speaking career, business, or book won't seem like such an uphill battle. At the end of the day, becoming an expert is really about joining the conversation both online and off. It's about lending some helpful insight when warranted and about sharing your wisdom with others. Give and you'll get; it may sound corny but it works. Setting Goals For Self-Publishing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gain some insights on self-publishing and discover the questions you should ask before you self-publish: http://beyondthebookcast.com/setting-goals-for-self-publishing/ Book Marketing Resources From AME ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Add AME to your circles on Google+ at: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117877257839352379062/. Be sure to "Like" our Facebook Page for marketing articles and tips, YouTube videos from our book marketing channel, notices about upcoming webinars, Publishing Insider shows, and more: http://www.facebook.com/bookmarketingame. Looking for book marketing content? Visit the articles page on our AME website and you'll find a range of articles by Penny, which may be used along with her byline (provided at the top of the page) at no cost. The complete list is at: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/articles/. Watch "David Meerman Scott on News Jacking" and much more on AME's Book Marketing Channel on YouTube. New videos are added regularly to keep you up to date on all things book marketing! http://www.youtube.com/user/BookmarketingAME. Book Bits and Bites ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * More 'Hunger:' Can't get enough of The Hunger Games? Enjoy The Hunger Games as acted by Beanie Babies: http://flavorwire.com/273029/watch-the-hunger-games-as-acted-by-beanie-babies * Recycling at its Best: Check out this library site, one of many converted buildings-turned-libraries: http://boingboing.net/2012/03/26/from-barn-to-bibliothek-a-lib.html * Highly Rated: Reality TV shows about famous authors we'd love to see: http://flavorwire.com/271543/reality-tv-shows-about-famous-authors-wed-die-to-see * Reading for One: Top five books for recluses: http://robertfay.com/2012/02/top-five-books-for-recluses/ How Online Press Release Distribution Can Help You with Your LinkedIn Marketing Efforts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Online press release distribution has not lost its power to create buzz and brand awareness. In fact, in speaking with many business professionals who have used our distribution partner's press release services, we've been told: * Their press releases were picked up by 40+ online sites and media news stations. * Their press release placement brought additional credibility to the launch of their new books, products and services. * They started to dominate the search engines - and "own" their keywords as search engines love optimized press releases They doubled and tripled their website traffic. * Multiple reporters and media professionals contacted them for additional interviews and media opportunities that give them more exposure. * Their website now ranks higher on Google - because online press release distribution is a powerful link building tool. Here's an additional benefit of online press release distribution that no one else is talking about - online press release distribution will help you with your overall LinkedIn marketing efforts. 6 Ways Online Press Release Distribution Can Help You With Your LinkedIn Marketing Efforts 1) The press release generated publicity can provide you with instant credibility with your LinkedIn profile visitors. For example my client Sara LaForest's headline reads like this: "Top Management Consultant Featured in Business Week, Fast Company & WomenEntrepreneur.com - Connect and Find Out Why." This shows readers immediately why they should trust her and why they should trust what she has to say. Here are some of the other ways you can highlight your publicity on your LinkedIn profile: * Create quoted media positions * Showcase your media mentions within your summary * Add the publications section to your LinkedIn profile * Create a media kit on your LinkedIn profile using Box.net Read the rest of the post here: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/linkedin-publicity-how-online-press-release-distribution-can-help-you-with-your-linkedin-marketing-efforts/ Guest post by LinkedIn marketing expert Kristina Jaramillo. Kristina helps small businesses and organizations get more publicity, prospects and profits using effective LinkedIn marketing. Now, at http://www.HowtoGetMorePublicitywithLinkedIn.com, you can gain full access to her FREE 14-Day LinkedIn Publicity E-course that shows you how to create an expert LinkedIn profile the media will love, how to build relationships with the media plus sneaky ways to get more PR using LinkedIn. The 2012 Indie Excellence Awards ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Indie Excellence Awards contest is taking submissions! NIEA celebrates overall excellence, including design and promotional text. To enter, please send one copy of your book per category entered. Books with publication dates of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 are eligible. Books published anywhere in the world may be submitted as long as they are in English and can be purchased in the United States. For more information, expanded category listings and entry forms please visit: http://www.indieexcellence.com Third Annual Unicorn Writers Conference ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On April 28, The Unicorn Writers Conference will host its third annual, full-day event. The Conference, which will be held again at St. Clement's Castle in Portland, CT, will feature over 40 eminent insiders and experts (including Penny Sansevieri) - true movers and shakers of the rapidly changing publishing industry - leading workshops, panel discussions, and seminars on every aspect of writing from non-fiction to comedy writing, from the creative mechanics to the nuts and bolts of the writing business. Visit http://www.unicornwritersconference.com to find out more or register. AME in the News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Penny was quoted in the article "10 Things E-Books Won't Tell You" for SmartMoney: http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/technology/10-things-ebooks-wont-tell-you-1330727533599/?zone=intromessage * Examiner.com interviewed Penny for "How Authors Can Create Bestsellers:" http://www.examiner.com/entertainment-industry-in-national/penny-sansevieri-on-how-authors-can-create-bestsellers * Keep up with Penny's latest articles for Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri * Penny has a series on book marketing underway at BookBuzzr: http://www.bookbuzzr.com/blog/?s=Penny+Sansevieri&x=0&y=0 Hear What The Publishing Insiders Have to Say ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be in the know and hear what the publishing insiders: Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. - and her guests - offer in terms of tips and insights into the industry! Listen here. Publishing Insiders is now available on iTunes, so you can keep up with the show wherever you go! Upcoming show: Tuesday, April 17 at 4 p.m. Pacific: Special Guest Amy Collins http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepublishinginsiders/ One of our favorite guests, Amy Collins of The Cadence Group, will stop by to discuss the most recent developments in the publishing world and what it means for authors. Shows available for download include: * Special Guest Amy Porterfield on The New Facebook Page * All Things Pinterest * "Like" My Stuff * Secrets to Creating Children's Book Apps * Lead Without Followers with Dave Ursillo * Facebook Facts from Social Media Expert Mari Smith * Special Guest Mike Stelzner on social media marketing * Special Guest Amy Porterfield on Facebook Marketing * Special Guest Chris Brogan on Google+ * How and Where to Sell Your Self-Published Book * Speaker Tips for Authors * How to Get Your Book Reviewed * The Future of Author Events * What Authors Must Know About Book Cover Design * SPECIAL GUEST Seth Godin: Poke the Box * Smart Self-Publishing: Why Book Design & Editing Matter * Smart Self-Publishing: Making Money with eBooks * Smart Self-Publishing Series: Becoming Your Own Publisher How to Get Retweeted ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's a great way to increase your chances of being retweeted: keep your tweets to 120 characters. Why? Well, when someone retweets you it will leave enough room for their Twitter handle without cutting off your tweet! Author Blogging 101: Simple SEO for Authors ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attract search engine traffic to your blog with these tips for keywords, links, anchor text and more: http://workflowwriting.com/658275/author-blogging-101-simple-seo-for-authors-part-1.php Sign Up for Social Media Magazines Today! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get your free copy of Social Media Magazines, compliments of Author Marketing Experts: http://tweetingandbusiness.com/customissues/ame-authors http://fbandbusiness.com/customissues/ame-authors http://liandbusiness.com/customissues/ame-authors http://thebiggandbusiness.com/customissues/ame-authors Meet New Readers With MeetUp.com! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you'd like to connect with readers in your neighborhood try researching them on MeetUp.com. This is a fantastic resource for finding new readers. Just create a profile and then start your research. I've looked on MeetUp for everything from romance readers to mystery readers and found them all there. Many of them are part of book clubs that meet monthly. What a great way to connect with new readers and get engaged with book clubs! Hint: You can also use it to promote your next event! Reader Tip: Pin Your Friends' Books on Pinterest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I tell people to find me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/chowardjohnson/. I pin a book from every writer who follows me there. (-: I make that work by having a special bulletin board for Books by Friends. It doesn't necessarily recommend the books but it does help my friends create a buzz and gives them more links for their books. And it sets an example of how to cross promote and how to be a generous marketer. Tip submitted by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, who is the author the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter, now in its second edition: http://www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo Social Media Snippet: Have You Checked Out Facebook's Interest Lists? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These lists can be a handy way to organize your newsfeed, and you can manage which of your lists can view (or can't view) your updates: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_use_the_new_facebook_lists.php Social Media Snippet: 50 (Mostly) Free Social Media Tools You Can't Live Without ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These tools are great timesavers for social media users, whether you're new to social media or not: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/03/18/50-mostly-free-social-media-tools-you-cant-live-without-in-2012/ Reader Tip! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you've got a Reader Tip you'd like to share, please send it to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "reader tip." Submissions should be 75 words or less. WHO ARE WE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author Marketing Experts, Inc. is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. We serve authors at all stages of marketing and promotion. We offer a full range of packages and services to choose from. To see a price list or schedule a free consultation, send your e-mail to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "Author Services Info." You can also visit our website at www.amarketingexpert.com. Reprint permission ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph: Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com ------------------------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Like this newsletter? Pass it on! We never rent or sell subscriber lists to any third party. Your privacy is very important to us. Always. To subscribe to this newsletter, click here: subscribe@amarketingexpert.com. ----- Copyright 2012 Author Marketing Experts, Inc. ----- Follow us on Twitter Keep up with the AME blog Like our Facebook Page Join us on Google+ Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email: penny@amarketingexpert.com web: http://www.amarketingexpert.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~